


Peripeteia

by PerfectlyHopeless



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, One-Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 17:43:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4929088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerfectlyHopeless/pseuds/PerfectlyHopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noun (per-uh-pi-tahy-uh): a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal, especially in a literary work. </p><p>Perhaps it's possible that the love you were looking for just wasn't there yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peripeteia

**Author's Note:**

> So I know I can't romance Varric ingame, but that's not about to stop me from writing about him and my Cadash because I need dwarf romance in my life. Also, AO3 needs more fics in this tag because 15 is not enough.

* * *

 

“You’re staring again, Mimi.”

Mhysa Cadash blinked, not even realizing that she’d been doing so. Her cheeks warmed as she looked back down at her cards. A smirk replaced her embarrassed expression when she realized that Varric had pulled the Angel of Death card.

“Three knights and two clerics,” she announced proudly, fanning her cards out on the table.

Varric folded, holding his hands up in surrender. “Andraste’s ass, Mimi. You sure you’re not cheating?”

“Me? A former member of the Carta? Cheating?” Mhysa grinned at him, winking. “You know I don’t cheat, V. The Maker is just playing favorites.”

The blond dwarf scoffed at this, gathering up the cards to start another round. “We both know you don’t believe you’re ‘Chosen’.”

“Even so, it sure makes for an interesting story,” she argued as he passed her a new set. Mhysa tucked a curl behind her ear as she organized her hand. “Writers and mercs have that in common, you know? You act as a professional liar. Ever taken down an ogre in one hit? No, but I’m going to say that I have so you’ll hire me.”

“How many hits, then?” he asked, discarding one of his cards.

“Five.” Varric frowned, eyeing her suspiciously. Mhysa put a hand to her heart, pretending to be hurt. “You don’t believe me?” He smirked, shaking his head at her. “Ouch. That _hurts_ , V. You’ve wounded me.”

“More like your pride,” he said without missing a beat. Mhysa choked at this, her jaw dropping.

“I’ll have you know that I have bested an ogre, thank you very much,” she said matter-of-factly. “It was years ago, but I’ve still done it.”

The blond dwarf shook his head and sat down his cards. “Now this should be interesting,” Varric said, smiling.

Mhysa put her cards down as well and sat up straighter in her chair, getting into her story-telling mode. “I was but a wee lass of twenty years when the Carta sent me into the Deep Roads,” she began, the hint of Starkhaven in her accent coloring her words. “It was my first real job, the Cadash House giving me a challenge me to see if I could handle it. We had a couple vets along with us, as well as a Vashoth mage called Adaar. If you called her Qunari she’d threaten to melt your armor. Made that mistake once and I definitely learned my lesson. But anyways! The Carta had heard word of an untouched thaig that had collapsed near Starkhaven, so they took our little group and sent us off.”

One of Skyhold’s workers came up to the two dwarves, offering the Inquisitor and her companion something to eat. Mhysa agreed and continued her story, going on about the journey into the Deep Roads. Varric enjoyed watching her, her excitement rubbing off on him and letting all of their other worries vanish.

“...I’ve never been to Orzammar, but who needs caves filled with dwarves when you’ve got caves full of darkspawn!” she said, pausing to take a bite out of the bread she’d been given. “Our demolitions expert from Kirkwall helped us blast through locked up doors and rubble that was in our way. Unfortunately for us there was a massive group on the other side just waiting for us. Adaar was a pretty powerful ice mage, though, and as soon as the ogre leading the group showed up she frozen it solid. Only took a few hits to shatter it and with the big guy out of the way we cleaned out the rest of the thaig.”

Varric frowned. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ is needed.”

Mhysa chuckled. “The Carta got shoddy information. The thaig was cleaned out long before we got there, nothing left but some crumbling ruins and a ton of dust.”

He started laughing at that. “You’re shitting me.”

“No, I’m not!” she protested, laughing along with him.

“So you didn’t actually take down an ogre,” he started, pausing to drink some ale. “You had assistance. I’m pretty sure that’s cheating, Mimi.”

“No, what you’re doing is cheating,” Mhysa argued, eyeing him as he retracted his hand from the stack of cards. He smiled innocently, acting as though nothing suspicious was going on. She rolled her eyes, discarding a card from her hand and picking up another. “Besides, I never said I did it on my own. That’s not lying, that’s stretching the truth.”

“A woman after my own heart,” Varric teased.

Mhysa shifted and kept her gaze locked on her cards. “I can try,” she said, hoping that her tone had been casual enough for him to not take what she had said seriously.

She wouldn’t admit that she was attracted to Varric, though her closest friends already knew. Dorian had tried encouraging the dwarf to make a move, but she couldn't. Mhysa felt that she was inadequate in comparison to her friends. Plain. Her hair was an unruly mop of course brown curls, her front teeth large with a gap spacing them apart, her eyes were a simple shade of dark brown, and the skin under her clothes was marred with numerous scars. Dorian had said that they added to her charm, a notion that she laughed at until her stomach hurt. Nothing about her was charming.

The little dwarf tucked her curls back behind her ears again, smirking when the time came to show their hands.

“I believe that makes this game mine, Master Tethras,” she said with a smirk, fanning out her full hand of knights and a cleric. The blond stared in horror at the cards.

“Maker’s breath, how?” he said, folding. “I don’t understand, you have to be cheating. No one’s hand is that good.”

Mhysa grinned as she leaned back in her seat, putting her hands behind her head. “What can I say? My luck isn’t just limited to not dying.”

“Inquisitor,” a new voice said. Mhysa looked up to find that Josephine’s assistant was standing behind her. “Ambassador Montilyet wishes to speak with you.”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon,” she said. She turned to her friend, smiling. “Sorry to cut our match short, but there are Inquisit-y things that need my attention.” She stood and watched for a moment as Varric gathered up the cards, reshuffling them before putting them in the little box he kept them in.

The blond smiled, glancing at her. “You’re staring.”

She frowned, looking away as she tucked a curl back behind her ear. “So I am,” she said, clearing her throat. Without a second glance she started towards Josephine’s office, her face feeling warm.

 

* * *

 

It was a mess in Skyhold after they returned from Ferelden. Mhysa had locked herself in her room, the little warrior refusing to speak to anyone but the workers and Josephine. She only allowed her in because they’d grown to be good friends, but everyone else seemed to have gotten the message about her soured mood and stayed away from their Inquisitor.

Varric’s friend, Bianca, was a bitch. Why Varric cared for someone who so obviously didn’t respect him in the same way was beyond Mhysa’s understanding. It nearly broke her heart to know that she was the one he’d wanted. That someone that was so opposite of him had him so infatuated.

She was angry. Angry at Bianca, angry with Varric, angry at the situation she was in, angry with herself for not realizing sooner. She’d known that Bianca was stretching the truth from the start. The merchant was a good actress, but Mhysa still could detect the subtleties in her tone that said that she was lying. Bianca had stretched the truth so thin that it was like rice paper, only shadows of what was on the other side showing through. Once it was torn down and they could all see the truth, Mhysa felt like a fool.

The little dwarf paced back and forth on her balcony, letting the mountain air cool her lingering temper. They’d returned a few days ago and she was still beating herself up over the situation. Her hands were clenched into fists as she fumed, resisting the urge to break the banister. It wouldn’t do any good to lash out physically. She continued to seeth until she hear a knocking on her door. Sneering, she returned to the warmth of the castle.

“Who is it!?” she called out from the top of the stairs, frowning as she walked down them.

“It’s me,” Varric’s voice said. She growled at this. “Open the door, Mimi. We need to talk.”

She glared at the door as she sat on the last step. “Go away, V.”

"I'm not going anywhere, Mi, I’m being serious…”

“So am I!” she shouted, cutting him off. She cursed herself for letting her voice crack, her heart racing as she tugged on the sleeves of her top.

There was silence behind the door while Mhysa tried to relax, her breathing sporadic. She breathed deeply, exhaling a sigh as she stood, opening the door.

Varric’s eyes widened at the sight of his friend. Her hair was a mess, her curls unkempt, while the dark circles under her eyes showed just how little sleep she’d gotten over the situation.

“Mimi…” he began, dumbstruck.

She turned on her heel and started up the stairs, still pissed off. “You want to talk? Then talk.”

He followed behind her into her chambers. It wasn’t the first time that he’d been up, he’d given her some assistance doing paperwork for Josephine one day. The papers on her desk where even more cluttered than they had been then. Mhysa sat down on the couch, her arms folded over her chest while she crossed her legs at the heel. She looked at him expectantly.

Varric sighed, not sure where to start. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened with Bianca. I should’ve known something was up from the start. The second she showed up, I just…” He trailed off, noticing the fact that she was still glaring at him. “I let this mess happen. I gave her the location of the thaig. And I am not good at dealing with shit like this.”

“I’m not about to blame you for the shit that your ex kicked up,” Mhysa said flatly, looking away. “You didn’t know.”

“No, no,” he began. “My point is, I’m not good at dealing with things. I don’t deal with them. If Cassandra hadn’t dragged me down here, I’d still be in Kirkwall pretending that none of this was happening.”

“Nothing is stopping you from going,” Mhysa said. “It’s not like anyone is holding you prisoner, so why are you still here?”

“Because I need to see this through, and considering how well you’re taking this I’m not going to leave you alone,” he said, nodding to her.

Mhysa sneered at him before looking out the balcony at the mountains. “I don’t understand you.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“The way you think,” she said, standing. “You blame yourself for everything. You say you don’t deal with things, but you’ve not tried to leave the Inquisition even once. You’re still hung up on someone that uses you. I don’t understand.”

Varric’s mood shifted, his eyes narrowing as Mhysa laid down her observations. “You don’t need to understand everything.”

“But I do!” she said, louder as she began to pace again. “I need to understand what goes on in my friends’ lives! I need to be able to understand how things work, I need them to make sense! I try so hard to understand you, but I can’t. I can’t understand why you feel like you deserve what happens to you, no matter the outcome.” She scoffed as she continued to pace. “Bianca… I don’t know what it is with you, she doesn’t even love you.”

He shook his head, keeping his gaze on her. “What, and you do?”

“Yes!” she shouted, stopping to look him in the eyes. Varric backed up a step as she neared him, startled by her outburst. “I do! I love you! And I hate it, because I know that you’ll never love me back! And I feel like a damned hypocrite because of it!”

“Mimi…” he began, his tone softening. “I…”

“Get out,” she said, turning away, her voice cracking. “Just... just go, Varric.”

Varric stood there for a moment longer, feeling like an idiot. Mhysa trembled as she folded her arms over her chest. She said nothing as he walked down the stairs, closing the door behind him. She choked on her breath as she did her best to stay strong. She wouldn’t waste tears on him.

 

* * *

 

Things between Mhysa and Varric were tense after that, her confession making it awkward as she did her best to move on. She spent time with her other friends after that, Dorian and Sera the most protective of her.

It was odd to fight in battle with Sera. Mhysa didn’t know when the arrows would fly past her head, Sera’s bow silent in comparison to the mechanical clicks that the crossbow made whenever Varric loaded another bolt. A number of times she found herself close to hyperventilating when the arrow passed by her. Eventually she had to bring back Varric when they went into Orlais to take care of rifts and other things, only so that she didn’t give herself a heart attack.

They rarely spoke after that afternoon, their usual games of Wicked Grace no more. Mhysa’s heart still ached whenever she saw him, whenever he turned away. She felt guilty for letting her emotions get away from her. She missed playing cards, sharing stories, laughing along to each other’s jokes. But she knew that pining wouldn’t do her any good.

At the Winter Palace Mhysa found herself completely out of place. Not only was she a dwarf, but she was ex-Carta. She was a criminal in their eyes, or maybe just a dirty commoner, depending on who it was that cast their gaze down on her. But Josephine had trained her well, and she played the Game to the best of her ability. It was enough to satisfy the Orlesian nobles to an extent, but not enough to save everyone. There were many deaths, including that of the Grand Duchess. The ordeal was draining her mentally, the politics making her wish that she’d died along with the rest of them.

“Mimi,” she heard a voice say. She blinked, realizing that she’d zoned out. Mhysa turned around, noticing Varric had shown up with a couple wine glasses. He smiled kindly at her. “I, uh, brought you something to drink.”

Mhysa looked at the glass in his hand, hesitant to take it. Eventually she relented, taking it and drinking it all down in one go. Her face pinched at the sour taste of the wine. No matter what she’d long for Starkhaven ale and whiskey, the drinks in Orlais off-putting. But it would do for now.

“Thanks,” she said, resting the glass on the railing. She breathed deeply, looking out at the palace.

“After what’s gone down tonight, you need a drink more than anyone else,” he said, leaning against the rail next to her. “How are you holding up?”

The little warrior chuckled. “Oh, I’m doing swell,” she said. She didn’t try to mask her accent around him. She never had when they were friends and even if that friendship had been strained she still wouldn’t. “I just watched the people under my command get slaughtered by a madwoman’s goons. If I hadn’t been stuck dancing around Orlesian politics, then maybe…” Mhysa closed her eyes tightly. “I’ve so many regrets for this evening, I wish…” She sighed, clenching her fist. “I just wish that I could start the whole day over.”

Varric reached out to put a hand over hers. The leather of his gloves stood out against her gauntlets, his fingers curling around her palm as he held her gently. Mhysa nodded her approval of the gesture, holding it back.

“You know I still love you, right?” she said, carefully saying each word as she stared at their hands. Her voice was wavering, as though she were still trying to hold back tears. “Well, in love. Don’t feel bad for me, it’s just a fact. I wish I didn’t, because you’re an ass. But I also… I miss being your friend. I miss our games and I miss the jokes. I wish I hadn’t said anything that day.”

The rogue was quiet as he listened to her. “You know, I’m kinda glad that you did,” he said. She frowned. “Makes this a little less awkward.”

Mhysa watched as he moved his hand away from hers, standing before her and turning her around gently to face him.

“What are you doing?” she asked, frowning as he stepped closer to her.

Varric took both of her hands and put them on his shoulders before placing his on her waist. “I can’t exactly top your dance with the Duchess, but I can try,” he said. Mhysa noticed then that the music had slowed. Varric began to sway with the rhythm, Mhysa following his lead.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked softly, meeting his gaze. There was kindness is his eyes, along with something else that she couldn’t quite place. Compassion or caring, maybe?

“Because I care about you,” he said. “A lot. And I’m confused about a lot. These last couple months have been terrible. I miss you too, and for now I just want to do this.”

Mhysa was quiet as she ‘danced’ with him, just allowing herself to enjoy the closeness between them. Eventually she moved her arms, wrapping them around his neck and relaxing against him. Varric’s hands moved to the small of her back, keeping her close. He rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing her in. Despite having been fighting all evening she still smelled like vanilla and lavender, the same as the fragrance that the Ambassador had given her as a gift months ago back in Haven. It was very befitting of her.

“This is really nice,” she said, her voice almost a whisper as she spoke against his neck. Her warm breath against his skin brought goosebumps along his arms. He shifted slightly, adjusting his hold on her.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

“Thanks, V,” she said lazily. Mhysa closed her eyes and started to drift as Varric smiled, happy to hear his nickname again. “I think I needed this.”

He nodded, turning his head to rest his cheek on her shoulder instead. Mhysa shivered slightly as his breath ghosted across her skin. They stayed like that even after the music had changed, a different song playing a different beat that made their ‘dance’ look out of place. Neither of them cared. “I think I did too.”

 

* * *

 

Mhysa and Varric tried as hard as they could to put things back the way they were before Mhysa’s confession, but it was more difficult to do in practice than in theory.

The two had omitted their game of Wicked Grace for the day to take a walk on the battlements. There was an air of seriousness around them, Varric’s request to speak privately confusing Mhysa greatly.

“Varric, what are we doing out here?” the warrior asked, brows furrowed as he lead her to the same spot where she’d met Hawke for the first time.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, taking a step forward and turning to face her. “I care about you a lot, and I know how you feel. I’m not good at trying to figure out how these things work out, all I know is that for whatever Maker forsaken reason they do.”

Mhysa frowned. “V, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“There’s a reason why my romance serials were never any good,” he said. “Shooting someone in the face? I can do that easily, the bastard probably deserved it. But romance? I can’t do that stuff, I’ve never been any good at it. Even with Bianca, I…” He trailed off, his hand reaching to rub at the back of his neck. “You have the absolute worst and best luck at the same time.”

She made a face at this, confusion making it difficult for her to follow. “V, I’m not sure I understand.”

He lowered his hand and sighed. “Ages ago you confessed how you feel about me. Now I’m doing the same thing, just poorly.”

“V?”

“Mimi, I honestly don’t know what’ll happen after all of this. After we defeat Corypheus, after the world calms down. I can’t stay here in Skyhold forever. Kirkwall is still my home, the same way I know Starkhaven is yours. I have to go back eventually,” he said. “But while there’s still time, I want to spend it with you.”

Her face felt hot. “So, do you…?”

Varric nodded, smiling at her. “Yeah, I do.”

“But what about…?”

“I’m working on it,” he said, cutting her off. He knew that she was asking about Bianca. “It’s been a bit difficult. I’m know that I’m still stuck in the past, but you’re here now. In the present, and I want to be with you in this present.”

Mhysa blinked, looking at him. He sounded determined, his gaze never once leaving hers as he took hold of her hands. She looked down, feeling small next to him. “Are you sure?”

He nodded again. “I am, for once.”

She chuckled at that, lacing their fingers together. “Good.”

Mhysa had to stand on her toes to kiss him. He took back one of his hands to cradle her cheek, his gloved thumb brushing over her brown skin. She let go of his hands to put an arm around his neck, holding him in place. She kissed him carefully at first, her nose bumping into his a couple times, but the simple actions grew more passionate by the second. Eventually she pulled away, both of them breathless. She looked him in the eyes before sighing and pressing her forehead to his.

“Maker’s breath,” she swore, laughing lightly. “I love you, you idiot.”

Varric smiled. “I love you too.”

Hearing the words said out loud made her question herself. “You do?” she said softly.

He chuckled. “Yeah, I do.”

Mhysa grinned and moved to kiss him again. “Good.”

 

* * *

 

 

She was sitting on his lap, a drink in her hand while he held her in place. The brightest smile was on her face as she toasted to their victory. Solas had vanished, and as curious about where he’d gone as Mhysa was, she was too cheery to worry. Josephine had gotten the warrior’s favorite ale from Starkhaven. Varric had called the little dwarf pretentious when he found out, but Mhysa simply rolled her eyes, knowing that she was the only good thing to come out of the city-state in his eyes.

As the celebrations began to die down, Mhysa decided to go back to her room. She took hold of Varric’s hand, still smiling as she and him left the noise of the great hall for the silence of her quarters.

The warrior smiled at her rogue, hardly believing her eyes that they’d made it so far. She couldn’t stop herself from kissing him once they were in her room, throwing her arms around his neck. He laughed, kissing her back just as eagerly as they moved onto the bed, not breaking apart for more than a second. She was content to just lie there with him, kissing and enjoying the closeness between them. Her hands found his and she stopped for a moment, her brown eyes finding his amber.

“You’re staring again, sweetheart,” he told her. Mhysa felt her face warm again and she buried her face in his chest. He laughed at that.

“How could I not stare at a man as handsome as you?” she teased, smirking.

“In the same way I’ve resisted staring at a woman as beautiful as you are,” he said in response. Mhysa’s eyes widened and the warmth in her face grew hotter.

She gave him a shove, making a face at him. “You’re terrible,” she said.

“It’s true,” he argued. “I’m always looking up at people, it’s not the most flattering angle. I can see you at eye level. I know you’re beautiful.”

Mhysa looked away as he tucked one of her curls behind her ears. “Sweet talker.” Varric grinned and kissed her again, slowly this time, as if savoring the moment. She sighed contently when he broke off, looking at her again. “If only this could last forever.”

“I’ll be sure to send you plenty of letters from Kirkwall,” he promised. She wasn’t too broken up about him leaving for his hometown, only that she had to stay behind while he did so. “I won’t let you go, no matter how far away I am. Maybe someday, if the Inquisition ends, you can come live with me.”

She continued to smile as she gave him a nod, lacing their fingers together. “You know, I think I’d like that.”

The two smiled before kissing again. The road ahead of them was still bumpy, but Mhysa was confident that things would eventually turn out alright.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated, but never necessary <3


End file.
